Key points

Community-acquired pneumonia is the most frequent cause of death from infection in Europe.

The majority of patients with pneumonia are treated at home, but about 1 million are hospitalised annually in the EU.

On average, in Europe, approximately 80% of isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae, the most frequently identified cause of pneumonia, are now resistant to commonly used penicillin and macrolide antibiotics.

Influenza usually affects the very young and the old, but the H1N1 pandemic hit younger adults particularly hard.